Month / April 2013

I really like a new game for iOS and Android called Puk. It’s super minimal with really nice sounds. It’s like target pong. 1000 levels and very addictive.

“PUK is a fast paced pure action puzzler requiring skill dexterity, nerve and endurance. Pull back and ping to obliterate portals in 1000 unique, quick-fire levels that are endlessly generated and different every time.” – Laser Dog

Instagram filters for audio is how Propellerheads are explaining their new Rack Audiomatic. With presets like VHS, Tape and Gadget it’s similar in idea to Audioease’s Speakerphone (which I own and use often). I basically want most of my audio sounding like it was recorded off a VHS tape. That really makes no sense I know.

“Audiomatic Retro Transformer is a psycho-acoustic future retro effect, inspired by the photo apps in your phone. Add Audiomatic to any instrument, channel or group — or the whole mix — and select one of the 16 snapshots: VHS, vinyl, gadget or even mp3, to instantly sprinkle audio magic over your tracks.” – propellerheads.se

If you want to see a huge amount of modular synth patched together and sounding like a few hundred television sets falling down a flight of stairs start following Richard Devine. I’m not certain I would listen to his “music” while driving or even be able to pick out one composition and say this is one I love. However, as a movie soundtrack or in the elevator going up to the top of One World Trade center I think it’s perfect.

“Richard Devine is an Atlanta-based electronic musician and sound designer. Devine has designed sound patches for NI’s Absynth, Reaktor, Battery and Massive. He has also scored commercials for Nike, Touchstone Pictures and engineered and performed his own music worldwide.” – Wikipedia

How is this even happening? Mutant retards are taking over this country. When the guy in the video first sips the straw it makes a sound and I just couldn’t stop laughing. Everyone needs to go read Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss. The book should be mandatory ready for every US citizen at this point. I can’t stand to look at another fat person. The song Dominator starts the video… he’s bigger for sure. Edit: Before I take heat here… I know lots of heavy people that I love, respect etc… just saying it would be better if they were healthy.

“From a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter at The New York Times comes the explosive story of the rise of the processed food industry and its link to the emerging obesity epidemic. Michael Moss reveals how companies use salt, sugar, and fat to addict us and, more important, how we can fight back.” – Amazon

I’ve been using my Traktor S4 a lot lately. Besides preparing for some upcoming DJ gigs I’ve been learning about the Loop Recorder and Remix Decks. I was surprised how fun these tools are for remixing songs on the fly. You have a lot more control in Ableton but with Traktor you kind of do things live and in real time. Watch the video above for an idea of what I am going on about.

“Watch and learn how to use the Loop Recorder as the main tool to build quick and powerful Remix Deck Sets.” – Mad Zach

Here we have the story of the song Television Set. It was a song Depeche Mode performed live at the beginning of their career. Interestingly, no one in the band wrote the song which is probably why it never appeared on an album. I love that the song was recorded on the cassette above over a Cure track.

“Probably the most famous un-released Depeche Mode track is ‘Television Set’. Television Set was a song played by the band at virtually every gig during 1981, usually as their opening number in the first 6 months of that year. It was a firm favourite amongst fans at live gigs during that period. At the time many considered it DM’s best song. When asked why it wasn’t being released as an obvious choice for a single, the whispered reply was “Vince didn’t write it”. The origins of this classic song remained shrouded in mystery for years but the songs existence has always been well known to Depeche Mode fans through live bootlegs from this period. ‘Television Set’ was written by Basildon musician Jason Knott. Jason was in a local band called ‘The Neatelllls’ (spelt with 4 L’s) which also included well know Basildon drummer Peter Hobbs. Although they never actually formed a band together, Jason, Peter and Vince Clarke did rehearse together a number of times and this how Vince got to hear the song. Vince took the song through a number of incarnations, firstly a recording with friend Sue Paget ( his bandmate in “No Romance in China”) with Vince on guitar & vocals and Sue on Bass. The second version was a solo demo track made by Vince, sounding completley different, made with a synthesiser, drum machine and Vinces vocals. Finally, Vince introduced the song into his new band Depeche Mode. The photo shows the original cassette by ‘No Romance in China’ that contains their recording of T.V.Set. As you can see its has been recorded over a copy of ‘The Cure’s Three Imaginary Boys’, Vince’s favourite band at the time. Many thank’s to Sue for providing the photo.” – Basildon: New Town – New Life

Different Drummer is an drum machine app for the iPad. It started out as a $300 app. It dropped to $150 and for a limited time you can now grab it for $50. Expensive for an app for sure but watch the videos above. It’s certainly different and it gets some creative ideas going. I will wait for further price drop I think but kinda cool no? The developer has a synth coming soon too.

“Different Drummer is your secret weapon in the quest for innovative beats that make sense yet defy the status quo. Using patent pending Cyclophone Technology, Different Drummer taps into the primal source of all drumming—waves. Wave motion propels almost everything you can imagine and it’s the perfect controller for drumming too. Different Drummer puts out multi-track drum beats and music sequences which are remarkably lifelike or primal at times and out of this world at others. Different Drummer is not a drum synthesizer but uses waves to play the drum samples (or other samples) in amazing ways that vary from electro and dubstep to tribal to classical.” – technemedia.com

Put this video on at about 6:14 in and it sounds like Front 242 during their Front by Front era. It reminds me of the basslines in Until Death or Welcome to Paradise. Sounds so wicked as he pitches the Make Noise DPO sequence using the Flame Tame Machine.

“The DPO is a voltage controlled oscillator designed for generating complex waveforms and implementing FM synthesis within the analog domain. Expanding on the classic arrangement of Primary and Modulator Oscillators, the DPO has both of the VCOs operable as complex signal sources. It is in essence a Dual Primary Oscillator.” – ctrl-mod.com